The Phantom Pain, announced at tonight’s Video Game Awards, might be a new Metal Gear Solid game. NeoGAF users have picked apart the trailer for the supposed new IP, which is in development at the unheard of Swedish developer Moby Dick Studio.

Here’s why the internet thinks this is Metal Gear:

Moby Dick Studios

Joakim Mogren is the founder of Moby Dick Studios. Joakim is an anagram for Kojima (Kojima Productions’ boss).

According to their Whois record, MobyDickStudio.se has only existed since November 19, 2012.

Their website’s images, including logo, background, etc. were all uploaded this month.

02:48: The pins sticking out of the logo are fitted for “Metal Gear Solid V.”

02:50: This soldier looks similar to those from Ground Zeroes.

02:55: The protagonist bears a striking resemblance to Snake. He even has the same scar under his eye as he does in Ground Zeroes.

Konami Party

At a Konami Party after the Video Game Awards, two men wearing The Phantom Pain / Moby Dick Studio t-shirts were spotted in the VIP section. Konami, of course, is the publisher behind Metal Gear Solid. One of the men (pictured right) was identified by a NeoGAF member as Kyle Cooper, who previously designed title sequences for Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3. Kotaku also snapped a photo of the other man holding a Konami check-in sign.

I’d love Metal Gear on Vita (PW on PSP was amazing) but this clearly ran on a high-spec rig powered by FOX engine. No matter how much I love my Vita, there’s no way it could handle FOX engine at the level of detail and sophistication shown in the trailer

http://twitter.com/AuroraXIII Aurōra Tredecim

That’s what I thought too, but a lot of others on Twitter were insisting the V stood for Vita because MGS has never used roman numerals in their title. However, no Vita title I’ve bought since launch could output visuals even close to The Phantom Pain.

It’s just that 1) I find it hard to believe Konami would announce MGS5 long before Ground Zeroes released, and 2) I doubt they would outsource it to a Swedish studio.

So given the unlikely hood of both those points, I gave FOX engine the benefit of the doubt that it *might* be capable of scaling down to a quad-core portable device since I don’t know how well optimised it is. Thus I deduced it must be another spin-off for Vita.

http://twitter.com/RaiuLyn Raiu

Kojima did said that Fox Engine is coming to the Vita… So time will tell if Kojima does decides to make a Vita game with Fox Engine… Visually, I found Killzone Mercenary to be the best at the moment(Can’t watch Phantom Pain because it’s taken down)….

If Kojima does make a Vita game out of this, then I have utter faith in him… I mean, Kojima did brought us MGS Peacewalker, one I didn’t think it was possible to fit that MGS experience and all that content(I swear, that game was huge) on the little PSP handheld… If he can do that kind of miracle, why can’t he do the same with the Vita?

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000720552713 Paulo Campos

the vita can handle the fox engine if the PS3 can, because vitas specs are very similiar to the ps3s specs

http://twitter.com/RaiuLyn Raiu

The Vita’s specs is that between the PS2 and PS3…

浪黒雷 (ro-kurorai)

I’m intrigued. Looks great anyways and some Vita love would be great. Kojima already produced an excellent handheld exclusive MGS title so it’s a valid option.

http://www.facebook.com/luanolimpio Luan Olimpio

maybe a port will be made
but the engine is a console stuff
it wouldn’t work well in vita

AlexHD

The best evidence? The seemingly random lines and cutouts in the logo is actually indicative of the phrase “METAL GEAR SOLID V” written in negative space: http://i6.minus.com/jjrqMmYWjPbZk.jpg

http://gematsu.com/ Sal Romano

Just added that! ;D

Raiyu

Another piece of evidence, the doctor in the trailer? Looks like Dr. Kio Marv from Metal Gear 2

If The Phantom Pain is MGS, than those sweet graphics are running on the Fox Engine

浪黒雷 (ro-kurorai)

There’s no other multi-platform engine that could display such sophisticated visuals, so you’ve got a point here.

DarthBrian

CryEngine.
And frankly, these visuals don’t look as good as CryEngine to me.

http://www.last.fm/user/frogjab l1lyone

CryEngine… what? You’re fucking epic man! xD

DarthBrian

I can’t tell if you’re agreeing with me or not. :p

http://kougeru.tumblr.com/ Kou

I agree. I actually felt like this trailer looked pretty “bad” visually for a late-generation game.Of course it’s a trailer of a probably early version of the game. But I was comparing it to the FoxEngine demos. After watching the trailer and then the FoxEngine demos again..FoxEngine looks quite a bit better than this. But Cryengine still takes the cake for me, even the older versions (see the Alien mod some dude posted on youtube..insane)

浪黒雷 (ro-kurorai)

I beg to differ. CryEngine is un-optimized and over-hyped. It looks decent on a state-of-the-art gaming rig but it’s crap on consoles. This game is a multi-platform game and CryEngine can’t even touch Sony’s proprietary engines as well as 343 Industries’ Halo 4 engine on consoles. So while CryEngine might be ok on PC it’s mediocre on consoles, hence my original statement.

Awnye

It’s a beautiful engine…actually, Kojima himself said recently he’d be interested in making a Silent Hill game with the Fox engine…can you imagine the horrifying beauty?

http://gematsu.com/ Zero

Just saw these.

“There are people in the VIP section of the Konami party wearing Phantom Pain/Moby Dick Studios t-shirts.”

As much as I am excited about this, I’m skeptical about handling it to an external developer… Especially to a new and unknown company like Moby Dick Studios…

http://gematsu.com/ Sal Romano

I don’t think they exist. It’s all a front by Lord Kojima.

http://twitter.com/RaiuLyn Raiu

“Why go all through this much trouble of just being a front” is what I would ask Kojima… Is it similar to what Nintendo did with Project Sora(Kid Icarus: Uprising)?

xMCXx

Why? Because he’s Kojima! xD

http://twitter.com/RaiuLyn Raiu

In all seriousness… It’s weird for this to not be developed internally….

I swear, I will never understand what goes on in Kojima-san’s head…. XD

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1596489364 Arielle Haddad

This is for sure internally developed by KojiPro. Moby Dick Studio is a red herring to distract from this. Or this is what Kojima is calling his new KojiPro studio

Kazziyan

This only tells me he is indeed the creator of Metal Gear. xD

xMCXx

Is this all just a switch and bait?
I mean, Big Boss or Snake never lost an arm.
At first I thought this was about Raiden being turned into a cyborg, but the dude does look like Snake…

Kazziyan

The saying was… From FOX two Phantoms were born. :o

xMCXx

Yeah, what does that mean?
Big Boss and….? Frank Jäger?

DarthBrian

I speculated this elsewhere, but it’s possible the missing arm is just Psycho Mantis fuckin’ with his head and his arm is still actually there.

KingOptimusOrigins111

Its not Metal Gear Solid V. Kojima is just trolling. Its probably a new studio Kojima owns now for Konami using the FOX Engine.

Raiyu

Of course its Metal Gear Solid V, all the evidence points to it.

However, whether or not it is Metal Gear Solid 5 is a different story.

KingOptimusOrigins111

If true why did he announce Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes and then announce this. Pretty weird to have a prequel and a sequel announced at the same time but if this is the case I hope Ground Zeroes releases next year.

Raiyu

Like I said, I never said this was Metal Gear Solid 5. I said it was Metal Gear Solid V. For all we know, that V might not even be a 5 and could mean something else. Kojima knows we’re waiting on MGS5, and could possibly be using it as troll bait. :P

Charlie

Kojima, you sly fox, you.

DarthBrian

So is it crazy for me to think this might be a Vita game? Because in the negative space title image it’s “Metal Gear Solid V”, not “Metal Gear Solid 5”. Why would they switch from 2, 3, 4, etc. to roman numerals? Maybe it the letter V and it stands for VIta? I know that sounds crazy but it’s not like the graphics in the trailer are *that* impressive. I mean, look at the image in the article. The bandage on Snake(?)’s face is pretty blocky and low-textured. I think that can be done on Vita.
But I could be wrong obviously. I’m not an expert on graphics. *shrug*

Kazziyan

Someone pointed out the visuals were pretty much the same, but with out all the illuminated lights, rain and whatnot.

DarthBrian

The same as Ground Zeroes? I dunno, Ground Zeroes was running on a PC and looked way better than this video.
IMO.

Kazziyan

I think if we factor in that this is just a trailer and since GZ was shown on PC… they might be still determining the specs and laying everything down. Still a bit early, is what I’m trying to say. xD

http://twitter.com/RaiuLyn Raiu

“Kojima explained that the demo video was a recording of gameplay rendered on PC hardware that was similarly equipped to a PS3, and that the final game should closely resemble the video.”

Yep. So they’re probably just tempering with it still while its in development. Polish comes last, anyway.

http://www.facebook.com/luanolimpio Luan Olimpio

vita isn’t good for sales
they may develop a port for vita
maybe

DrForbidden

No, Vita isn’t good for sales for relatively new IP and ports of existing console games. A new, original MGS game will sell truckloads regardless of platform, and it will spur the sales of Vitas as well if it were a Vita-exclusive. A Vita MGS game is a distinct possibility, though not a certainty.

Willi Meyhoff

it seems like no one noticed that at the end of the trailer, when the soldier pushes the “MC”/Big Boss around, the sounds of the “memories/flashback” plays (the one from MGS4)
also his body build is really similar to Big Boss too including the facial hair.
oh and, while it doesn’t really give off a MGS feel, it DOES seem to be stealth theme’d along with some ridiculous… Bosses? that are known in MG lol

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003583595295 Shaun Huseman

Either way, it isnt Liquid Snake since it was the opposite are that he lost

Michael Garling

I’ve heard whispers that the in-game footage here has actually been mirrored, in order to throw us off the scent more.

Tetsu

Can you imagine this NOT being Metal Gear Solid 5? That would be the most coincidental thing I’ve ever seen in my life.

http://www.facebook.com/luanolimpio Luan Olimpio

kojima said mgs ground zeroes will be a sequel of mgs peace walker and a prequel of a new game
he is preparing a mgs 5 after ground zeroes

anyway, his viral marketing was a very good idea
everybody is talking about that
it was better than announce the game officially

MrRobbyM

Good lawd all these little hints are making me so hyped and I already was super pumped before I even thought it had anything to do with MGS. Thought I did think the main character in the trailer looked like Snake at first.